1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for distributing data list items across multiple pages when display of the data list requires more than one page.
2. Description of the Related Art
A graphical user interface (GUI) permits an end user to interact with a computer through the more intuitive operations of “point and click” on graphical display elements with a pointer controlled by a mouse or other user interface device. A mouse is typically employed by a user of a computer to interact with the computer's GUI. A “pointer” is an iconic image controlled by a mouse and is displayed on the computer's GUI for the user to visually select or manipulate icons, menus, and other types of graphical objects.
A popular way to present information to computer system users is via a GUI. A GUI is usually a component of a computer environment, which is provided by an operating system. However, an application program also may create a GUI by independently displaying objects on a screen for utilities provided by the operating system. In addition, a combination of the operating system and application program approaches also may be used to create a GUI.
Information or data is often presented to an end user in a GUI environment using a graphical user interface component known as a window. A window is a scrollable viewing area on a GUI and is generally rectangular in shape. Each window conveys information about an application program or other process executing in the computer. A window is the central way to provide information to, and receive information from, a user. Usually one or more active windows are present on a display screen at any given time.
The number of horizontal and vertical pixels rates display screens. For example, 1024×768 means that the display screen displays 1024 pixels in each row and there are 768 rows or lines. A pixel, or picture element, is the smallest addressable unit on the display screen.
Users of application programs, such as databases, e-mail, online shopping, search engines, and the like, are familiar with viewing windows containing returned results of data lists. Sometimes, users face a challenge with managing large lists of returned results. Often, the large list of returned results is displayed on more than one page. For example, the returned result may display 1-10 of 31 on a first page, 11-20 of 31 on a second page, 21-30 of 31 on a third page, and 31 of 31 on a fourth page.
Currently, returned result window views are configurable such that the page size is set to show a specific number of items per page. This current configurable page size window view may create returned result views that contain relatively few items on the last page, such as in the example illustrated above, the fourth or last page of the returned result data list contains only 1 item. In the case of the depicted example above, the user may not want to waste time by viewing a page containing only 1 item because the user may feel that the effort/reward ratio is too small. As a result of not viewing the last page containing 1 item, the user may miss important information.
A small number of items placed on the last page of a returned result data list are similar to placing the last line of a paragraph from a previous page at the top of the next page. In the publishing or printing industry this carry over of the last line of a paragraph to the next page is known as a “widow” because the widow stands alone. For reasons of efficiency, a widow is undesirable in print and is undesirable in viewing a data list of returned results.